The best methods to improve posture

Many people think too much about their personal appearance, but neglect their posture.

A good posture also helps you look your peak height, maintains an upright position, and gives you a better appearance when walking or sitting down. It can also help you to sleep better. A good posture will help you a lot in nervous situations like a job interview or when you have to speak out in front of a group of people. A poor posture maybe be seen as a lack of confidence.

Every time our lifestyle becomes sedentary, we tend to spend many hours in front of a computer, TV or cell phone, making it very difficult to stay upright. Therefore it is important that you watch your posture at all times.

The waist and the pelvis are very important factors to consider when it comes to improving your posture. Although trying to maintain an upright posture it is very easy to make it look like you torso is slipping forward. The major cause for this poor posture from the waist or hips is due to prolonged sitting. Note the position in this photo:

Taking good care of your waist can help improve your posture, and also make sure you are reaching your full height potential.

To improve posture from the waist, it is a good idea to stretch the hip muscles by doing lounges on each leg as per the below picture.

When doing lounges, try to stretch your waist as much as you can and try not to let your knee touch the ground, as this will put a lot of stress on the back.

The major causes of bad back posture are due to spending long periods time sitting in front of the computer. Poor sitting posture causes back muscles to tighten therefore upper back muscles become weaker causing the forward curve.

To improve back posture it is recommended that you do stretching exercises and maintain an upright posture when in front of the computer or television.

Poor posture shoulder is commonly noted on people who spend a lot of time sitting. When sitting, while trying to maintain a balanced back, the shoulders tend to become slack leading to poor posture.

To determine poor posture in the shoulders there is a pencil test.

1. Hold a pencil in each hand
2. Stand upright and keep your posture as you would regularly.
3. If the pencils are leaning forward, this indicates that you have a correct position
4. If these pencils leaning sideways, this indicates that you need to work on improving the position of your shoulders

Prolonged sitting at a computer is a cause for poor posture in the shoulders. The solution to poor posture of the shoulders is to relieve pressure in the chest with stretching exercises.

The neck is also part of your posture. When you're sitting for a long time, the muscles of your neck begin to tighten and eventually looking as if the head is very in front of the rest of the body.

To evaluate the position of your neck check out a side view of yourself. In the picture you should be standing with a regular stance with your ear aligned with your shoulder. If it is not, you can follow these suggestions to improve it:

1. Practice proper posture of your neck when sitting: Your head should be aligned with your back, not in front of your back.
2. Massage the muscles around your neck to release tension in the head.
3. Remember to keep your neck and back straight when you're in front of the computer or television.

These exercises will help to improve posture and and enjoy as more stress and injury free life.